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Thursday, July 12, 2012

Bruschetta Chicken Pasta- my knock off

All I have to say is... yum. We ate this meal twice in one weekend it was so good! And it is so simple that it can be made with kids running around you (that is how I usually have to prepare our meals)!

I made this one up based on a dish I love from TGI Fridays (classy I know), and I did not compare them side-by-side, but rather wanted to have the same flavors as the meal I love!

1. Chop all of your tomatoes in half, place them in an oiled baking dish/sheet and set the oven to 400 degrees. drizzle a little more olive oil (or spray with olive oil) and sprinkle some salt. Add the minced or whole garlic pieces (if you want to chop them later) and place in the oven for 50 minutes. Check to make sure they aren't burned at around 40. The tops can have a little charring, but not too much!

2. Pour a nice amount of balsamic into a pan with a little olive oil. Rub the chicken around (I chopped my chicken into smaller pieces to speed the cooking time up) on both sides so it is nice and coated. Sprinkle with a little salt and cook until done.

3. Meanwhile, boil your water and cook your pasta (and drain).

4. pour 1 to 1 1/2 cups of balsamic vinegar into a small pot and bring to a boil. Turn it down to med-high and watch it often, so it doesn't burn. It is done when it has reduced by 1/2 to 3/4. You can add brown sugar to this if you want, but we didn't.

3. chop up your basil (lots, as if you were adding spinach to a pasta dish)

4. When the tomatoes/garlic are done, mix them with the balsamic reduction.

Pour a little olive oil or butter into your pasta, add the chopped basil, chicken (cut into pieces), and tomatoes/vinegar combo and mix it all up (add salt to taste)! If you haven't had roasted tomatoes before or a balsamic reduction, you are in for a treat!